WHISTLER, Rex. Engravings by Rex Whistler for Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels. Printed from the Original Plates.

"Part I Vignette"

WHISTLER, Rex. Engravings by Rex Whistler for Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels. Printed from the Original Plates. Printed by Harrison and Sons for H.M. Fletcher. 1970.

Folio, 28 loose leaves comprising title-page, 2 page Introduction by Anthony Rota, Limitation Leaf, 12 full page handcoloured plates, 8 vignettes, and 5 maps, all printed from the original plates. Housed together with one of the original plates in a recess within a green crushed morocco case lettered in gilt on spine. Plate oxidised around the edges, a little arched and snug in case, otherwise a very good copy.Limited edition of 100 sets of which 74 were for sale. This is one of 25 sets containing one of the original plates from which the prints were printed. This copy contains the plate for the vignette introducing Part I. Rex Whistler's illustrated Gulliver's Travels was first published by The Cresset Press in an edition of 195 copies on handmade paper and 10 copies on vellum. The edition is 'one of the most handsome books ever to be published in this country. And the illustrations are ravishing.' ('The Twentieth Century Book' by John Lewis).The original copper plates were acquired by booksller H.M. Fletcher who issued this suite of the illustrations in 1970. The sets which contained the original copper plates remained within the business until 2017 when they were acquired directly by Aquila Books of Calgary and Henry Sotheran Limited of London.